The Insiders: Episode 6 - Close to the Edge

"Sometimes the answers we seek aren't found in hiding, but in facing what we've been running from all along."

The massive doors of the Throne Room creak open under Emm and Gee's combined keys, releasing the musty scent of disuse into the corridor. As Bran steps inside, memories wash over him like warm waves—of countless messages delivered when the Sandy was still around, of glimpsing wisdom in this sacred space.

Behind the golden throne, the Tree of Life stands dormant and bare while the Tree of Knowledge bears a single defiant green bud. In this dusty silence, Bran confronts not just his recent failures, but deeper wounds: his brief, intense fling with Gemma that cost him TiGer's friendship, and his habit of running from difficult conversations rather than engaging with them.

His moment of reflection is interrupted when TiGer bursts through the doors, her orange-and-black spiky hair vibrant against the chamber's gloom. "There you are. Had a hunch you'd skulk here," she announces, hands on hips. Her rapid-fire updates about angry Beta messengers, Captain Higgs's fury, and his new uniform are delivered with the caustic wit that's uniquely hers.

As she softens slightly, TiGer shares an ancient story once broadcast by the Sandy—about an exodus to a promised land occupied by enemies. "Only our enemies are mostly in here," she says, tapping her head pointedly.

Outfitted in his new silver Beta Wave uniform with its yellow lightning flashes, Bran struggles to adapt to the oversized boots designed to create an airtight seal with the tube system. His dendricals tingle with anticipation inside the red and blue gloves that will grant him access to the tubes he's missed during his exile.

On the Bridge, Captain Higgs's thunderous correction when Bran mistakenly calls her "Ma'am" instead of "Captain" makes his dendricals curl with embarrassment. Their mission is clear: survey damage, collect reports, visit Sher Gar for recordings, and consult the Chief about repairs.

Splitting up to cover more ground, Bran visits the Library where Sher Gar reveals a shocking truth: the crash wasn't Bran's fault. Two cloaked vessels pursued The ALEx, one firing a projectile that struck L3 Station and pumped in a mysterious liquid. Relief floods Bran's circuits—he wasn't the cause; he was the victim!

With this crucial evidence secured on his datapad, Bran chooses the upper deck route back to the Bridge, hunching his tall frame through the dimly lit corridor. Each step brings him closer to Captain Higgs and the truth that might finally clear his name.

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The difference isn't in what happened.

The difference is what you do with it.

The Insiders: Episode 5 - The Grand Illusion

"The stories we believe shape the reality we experience—but what happens when we challenge those narratives?"

In the tense atmosphere of Meeting Room 4, Bran faces the moment of truth. Captain Higgs's verdict hangs in the air as the flexishell walls pulse with the rhythm of The ALEx's systems. When she finally speaks, her words send shockwaves through the assembled officers: Bran is reinstated as Beta Wave Leader.

As reactions ripple around the table—from TiGer's vibrating excitement to Cropper's bristling feathers and Barry's defeated slump—Bran feels both elation and terror war within his chest. The scripture "Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward" echoes in his mind, a reminder that this second chance comes with tremendous responsibility.

Leaving the meeting, Bran encounters an unsettling role reversal: Candi, usually supportive, questions his promotion with suspicion, while Walter, his longtime critic, offers unexpected consideration. The toad-like officer's probing observations cut uncomfortably close to home: "When threatened, you retreat. When challenged, you shrink... It's kept you alive, certainly. But at what cost?"

At the Nexus, Bran confronts the physical aftermath of his crash—scattered papers, toppled furniture, and scorch marks marring the walls. The sight triggers a cascade of panic, his vision tunneling as his dendricals spasm beneath the yellow glove. In this moment of crisis, he makes a desperate decision to seek refuge in the one place that might offer peace: the Throne Room.

Using a maintenance tube to avoid the public eye, Bran escapes to All Mounds Park where he hopes to find Emm and Gee, whose presence is required to unlock the sacred space. Instead, he encounters Leo, the fight instructor, whose meaty hand and booming voice steer him toward the gym where Adreno Guards wait with hungry grins.

As the familiar pattern of flight begins to take hold, Bran glimpses a different path. With Emm and Gee finally at his side, he slips past Cropper's office toward the Throne Room—a small act of courage that represents his first steps toward breaking free from the stories and habits that have defined him.

Will the Throne Room offer the clarity Bran seeks? Can he truly rewrite the narrative of who he is and who he might become? And what of the unseen forces conspiring against The ALEx—and against Bran himself?

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The difference isn't in what happened.

The difference is what you do with it.

The Insiders: Episode 4 - Hand of Destiny

*"Sometimes the most courageous choice isn't running away from danger, but walking steadily toward your fate."*

With the threat of permanent discharge still lingering like a shadow, Bran steps into the harsh corridor lighting outside Cropper's office. His dendricals tremble inside the unfamiliar yellow glove—a temporary privilege that feels more like a ticking countdown than a reprieve.

Behind him, the rhythmic "thwack, thwack, thwack" of Miss Cripps' cane against her open claw follows him down the corridor, each strike a reminder of how close he came to having his essence painfully extracted and ejected into the void.

As Bran navigates the flexishell corridors, he faces a critical decision: take the quick but dangerous S-tube shortcut to the Captain's office, or choose the longer, safer route. The old Bran would have risked everything for speed, but something has shifted inside him. "Rushing gets you dead faster than being late," the Chief's gruff wisdom echoes in his mind as he makes the more difficult, prudent choice.

An unexpected encounter with Automotons brings a moment of surprising connection when Grex, recognising Bran's yellow-gloved fate, offers a gentle gesture of solidarity. Even these creatures, relegated to the ship's underbelly, show more loyalty than Bran managed during the first coup—a realisation that stings with shame but strengthens his resolve.

At the Nexus, Thalma and Louise's conjoined form greets him with their characteristic contrast of excitement and efficiency. Through their exchange, Bran discovers he's not merely meeting the Captain—he's facing a full review board examining the L3 Station incident.

In Meeting Room Four, the assembled might of The ALEx's command structure awaits. As reports of widespread damage and hundreds of injured crew members fill the air, Bran notices something strange: Nora claims to have sent him to check a blockage that only he and Sher Gar had theorised moments before the accident.

With all eyes upon him, Bran makes another crucial choice. Instead of blurting out his suspicions, he remains measured and thoughtful, presenting evidence that the L3 incident wasn't random but a deliberate attack on The ALEx itself.

As Captain Higgs considers his testimony, Bran finds himself at another crossroads—but for the first time, he faces it with clarity rather than fear. Whatever comes next, he's ready to embrace it with eyes wide open.

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The difference isn't in what happened.

The difference is what you do with it.

The Insiders: Episode 3 - Shadow in the Limelight

"The moment you decide to face your fears is the moment they begin to lose their power over you."

Marched through the corridors of The ALEx by red-uniformed Adreno Guards, Bran faces the consequences of his latest failure. Each painful step on the Flexishell decking reminds him of his injuries from L3 Station—and the pattern of poor choices that led him here.

As the Guards' urgent commands echo around him ("MOVE FASTER!" "GO! GO! GO!"), Bran's mind drifts to the pivotal moments that shaped his downfall: his arrogance as a Beta Wave Messenger, his catastrophic failure in the Throne Room, and the fateful night he tried to impress Gemma by breaking into Cropper's office.

Reflections in darkened observation screens reveal versions of himself he barely recognises—the cocky messenger who ignored protocols, the exile working among Automotons, the failure who couldn't help Sera when she needed him most. Each image forces Bran to confront the gap between who he wants to be and who he has become.

Outside Cropper's office, a mysterious hooded figure emerges, their withered appearance and malevolent gaze triggering memories of Creetnin from the Throne Room nightmare. The brief encounter leaves Bran with an inexplicable sense of dread.

Inside the meticulously arranged office, AOC Cropper circles like a predator, his affected accent dripping with false warmth as he recounts Bran's catalogue of failures. With theatrical precision, he reveals a red-sealed scroll—the permanent discharge order that will erase Bran from existence.

As Cropper directs him toward a personal discharge chamber, the full horror of his situation crashes down. At third watch, mere milliseconds away, Brandon Beta will cease to exist—his essence painfully extracted, his remains ejected into the void, even his memories wiped from The ALEx's systems.

But when all seems lost, an unexpected saviour arrives. Miss Cripps, despite her well-known contempt for Bran, intervenes with razor-sharp authority, reminding Cropper that the Captain has forbidden unauthorized discharges.

Granted temporary reprieve and a yellow access glove to reach the Captain, Bran experiences a moment of clarity. The internal struggle between his desire to do right and his habit of taking shortcuts suddenly makes sense—a battle between spirit and flesh he's finally ready to engage with rather than passively accept.

As he leaves Cropper's office, each step brings fresh resolve. This isn't just a reprieve—it's an opportunity for real change.

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The difference isn't in what happened.

The difference is what you do with it.

The Insiders: Episode 2 - Moonlight Awakening

"The past doesn't define who you can become. Every moment is a chance to write a new story."

Following his catastrophic journey through L3 Station, Bran awakens in his cramped quarters in the Tenements, battered and bruised. As consciousness returns, so do the painful memories of his exile and disgrace.

While TiGer meditates nearby, her gentle wisdom about transformation and new beginnings penetrates Bran's fog of self-pity. Her spiritual insights about seeds falling on different types of soil strikes a chord with our reluctant hero, offering a glimmer of hope that change might be possible—even for someone like him.

The arrival of the radiant Roxy brings unexpected comfort. Her presence soothes Bran's physical pain while her words challenge his mental barriers. Could it be true that neural pathways aren't set in stone? That old patterns can be broken and new ones formed?

Just as Bran begins to consider these possibilities, a summons from Captain Higgs sets events in motion. With TiGer and Roxy supporting his trembling frame, Bran attempts the painful journey through the corridors of The ALEx.

Their progress is halted by the arrival of six intimidating Adreno Guards, claiming orders from AOC Cropper that supersede even the Captain's authority. As tension mounts and the Flexishell beneath them pulses an angry red, Bran faces a crucial decision.

For the first time, something shifts inside him. Instead of shrinking away or being dragged along, Bran chooses to walk toward his fate on his own terms. Each painful step forward represents a small victory against years of accepting defeat without question.

As he's marched toward Cropper's office, Bran reflects on the stories he's told himself about who he is and what he deserves. With Cropper's permanent discharge looming, our protagonist makes a silent promise: even if this is the end, he will choose how to face it.

The Insiders: Episode 2 explores the beginning of Bran's transformation from passive victim to active participant in his own story. Through pain and uncertainty, we witness the first tentative steps toward rewiring neural pathways and challenging long-held beliefs.

Will Bran's newfound resolve survive his confrontation with Cropper? What does the mysterious AOC really want? And how will Captain Higgs respond to this direct challenge to her authority?

Join us for this pivotal chapter in The Difference Makers series, where the seeds of change begin to take root in the most unexpected places.

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The difference isn’t in what happened.

The difference is what you do with it.

The Insiders · Episode 1: Out of the Blue

A MADcast production

For the broken, the brave, and the becoming.

Bran doesn’t want to change the world—he just wants to keep the pipes working and avoid trouble. Maintenance is his job. Low. Hidden. Safe. But when an unexpected assignment drops him into a locked archive filled with echoes of the past, he stumbles into a mystery that begins to crack open something much deeper.

Something’s shifting underground—beneath the surface of the world, and beneath the surface of Bran himself.

When a voice speaks out of the blue and a stranger shows up quoting ancient words, Bran is forced to face what he’s buried: pain, questions, and a fire he thought was long gone. But what if he’s not just a pipe tech in the Lower Levels? What if his story isn’t over?

Welcome to The Insiders, a raw and layered narrative that weaves speculative fiction, spiritual formation, and soul recovery into a gritty apprentice’s journey. Told through Bran’s reluctant transformation, this story opens the door for those who feel lost, locked out, or lit up from within—and don’t know what to do with it.

🎧 In This Episode

- Steam tunnels, encrypted messages, and an ancient passage with a present punch

- Romans 12:2—but not like you’ve heard it preached before

- A mysterious figure named Sher Gar, who sees what Bran can’t

- The beginning of a call: Be transformed

This isn’t just a story. It’s a mirror. A map. A challenge.

If you’ve ever:

- Felt disillusioned by religion but still hungry for truth

- Carried pain in your bones and hope in your back pocket

- Wondered if there’s more than survival, silence, or scripting…

…then The Insiders was written for you.

👣 Want to go deeper?

- [Tap into the MAD Engine](https://patreon.com/madengine)—a place for misfits becoming makers

- **[Get free story updates + exclusive extras](https://subscribepage.io/Insiders)**

- [Subscribe on Substack](https://differencemakers.substack.com) for weekly Sparks and reflections

This is more than an episode. It’s a portal.

Step in. Listen close. Watch what happens.

💬 What’s Better Today?